The trend of humanity to progressively spend more time in space has spurred governmental and private interest to develop spacecraft for both space travel and cargo delivery. For example, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space System's Dream Chaser Cargo System (Dream Chaser) is a reusable automated cargo lifting-body spacecraft. The Dream Chaser is designed to resupply the International Space Station with both pressurized and unpressurized cargo. Further development of the Dream Chaser includes a crewed version, which would be capable of carrying up to seven people to and from low Earth orbit. As can be appreciated, such spacecraft are subject to pressure changes as it travels between gravity and microgravity environments (e.g., during liftoff and recovery). A buildup of internal pressure in a spacecraft (or component thereof), however, can cause irreparable structural damage to the spacecraft.
Accordingly, a need exists for system that can prevent this damage by sensing the internal pressure buildup and opening a flow path to outside the vehicle to relieve the pressure. To that end, disclosed herein is a positive pressure relief valve that can quickly sense an internal pressure buildup and, in response, open a flow path to relieve the pressure.